Two Russians and a Belarusian win World Press Photo 2025 awards – Ukraine's photography community reacts
The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP) has condemned the results of the international 2025 World Press Photo contest, in which two Russians, a Belarusian and a group of German photographers were among the regional winners – some of them with projects focused on Ukraine and the war.
Source: an official statement by the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP)
Details: UAPP said it was surprised by the jury’s selection and demanded adherence to ethical standards, impartiality and transparency.
Quote: "By rewarding Russian photographers who serve as expressors of the state ideology of the Russian Federation, the competition makes the position of the aggressor visible, and thus contributes to the substitution of concepts: instead of condemning the aggressor, it emphasises sympathy for him.
In our opinion, such an award does not meet the stated goal of the competition, which is to connect the world with important stories, especially in the situation of the war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for 11 years."
Details: The UAPP Board stated that fair voting is only possible if it is impartial, as attention should be paid to photographers who "reflect the truth and give a voice to those who are often silenced".
Which works won awards
This is the first time a photojournalist from Russia has won an award in the contest since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Mikhail Tereshchenko, a photo correspondent for the Russian state news agency TASS, received an award in the Stories category for his series Protests in Georgia, which documented anti-Russian protests in Tbilisi against the suspension of Georgia’s EU accession talks.
Another Russian, Aliona Kardash, won in the Long-Term Projects category with her project It Smells of Smoke at Home. Although she lives in Germany, her main focus was the "psychological detachment of modern Russia from reality, where the war is called a ‘special operation’."
In the Singles category for Europe, the jury selected two works depicting the war in Ukraine. They were described as a "visual pair" showing two reflections of the region’s reality.
German photographer Florian Bachmeier captured six-year-old Anhelina from Kharkiv Oblast, who suffers from panic attacks after fleeing shelling in her hometown of Kupiansk. The work is titled Beyond the Trenches and, according to the photographer, "became the emotional center of the European bloc".
In contrast, German photographer Nanna Heitmann’s photo, Underground Field Hospital, shows a wounded militant from the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic who fought on the side of the Russian Armed Forces.
An award in the Southeast Asia and Oceania category went to Belarusian photographer Tatsiana Chypsanova for her project about the ancestors of the Māori Ngāi Tahu tribe in New Zealand.
"Winning photos are those that make us stop, or at least pause and think, not just scroll on. Many of these images transcend the moment in which they were taken – they have become symbols of something significant from a social, political or historical point of view," said European jury chair Finbarr O’Reilly, justifying the selection.
Reactions from photographers
The announcement of the winners immediately sparked heated debate within the photography community, including among Ukrainian photojournalists. Photojournalist Serhii Korovainyi shared his reaction.
Quote: "From my perspective, this is an unempathic, shallow manipulation driven by visual resemblance that removes responsibility for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine from ‘ordinary Russians’ – both military and civilians. It encourages Russian guiltwashing. It is entirely inappropriate during a war of choice waged by the Russian Federation.
One of the winning stories by a photographer of Russian origin, Aliona Kardash, is about Russian society during the war, its struggles and suffering. It is titled It Smells of Smoke at Home.
Ukrainian cities also smell of smoke. From the Russian missiles and drones that kill our civilians and soldiers – many of whom were civilians just yesterday. Every day.
Russian cities will stop smelling of smoke the moment Russian troops leave Ukraine. At that moment, Russian ‘boys’ will stop dying in basements in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, and Anhelina will return home to Kupiansk."
Details: Yulia Kochetova, who won a World Press Photo award last year, was also critical of the jury’s decision.
Quote: "Obviously, I am surprised to see so much attention to the narrative of the ‘Russian soul’ among this year's regional winners. I can't imagine how Georgian photographers feel because their protests against Russian influence were shown through the images of a photographer from a Russian state agency. This is a personal responsibility – how this war will be told in years to come. It is important to continue to testify and document."
More details: Documentary photographer Vlada Liberova also joined the discussion.
Quote: "So you really think that calling a photo of a young Ukrainian girl who suffered from Russian aggression and a photo of a wounded occupier in occupied territory a ‘visual pair’ is a good idea?"
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